oca

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈō-kə 

variants or less commonly oka

: a South American wood sorrel (Oxalis tuberosa) cultivated for its edible tubers

also : the tuber of an oca

oka

2 of 4

noun (2)

less common spelling of oca

: a South American wood sorrel (Oxalis tuberosa) cultivated for its edible tubers

also : the tuber of an oca

oke

3 of 4

noun (3)

ˈōk

variants or oka

ˈōkə

plural -s

: any of three units of weight varying around 2.8 pounds and used respectively in Greece, Turkey, and Egypt

oke

4 of 4

noun (4)

ˈōkā

plural -s

: okolehao

Examples of oca in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Opened by Noma cofounder Claus Meyer in 2013, the fine-dining restaurant focused on indigenous ingredients like oca tubers, llama, and fermented yucca. —Sorrel Moseley-Williams, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Mar. 2025

There were cacao pods of all sizes; a rainbow assortment of potatoes and other knobby tubers, including oca, olluco and mashua; herbs, fruits and grains from the Andes and the Amazon; and fresh seafood from Southern California, including gorgeous sea urchin from diver Stephanie Mutz. —Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2023

The site, as well as Nichols, also offered a tuber known as oca. —Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Spanish, from Quechua oqa

Noun (3)

French, New Greek & Turkish; French oque, from New Greek & Turkish; New Greek oka, from Turkish okka, from Arabic ūqīyah, probably from Greek oungia, ounkia ounce, from Latin uncia

Noun (4)

by shortening & alteration

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1604, in the meaning defined above

Geographical Definition

Oka

geographical name

ō-ˈkä 

1

river 530 miles (853 kilometers) long in south central Russia in Asia flowing north from the Sayan Mountains into the Angara River

2

river 919 miles (1479 kilometers) long in central Russia in Europe flowing into the Volga River